NME Music NewsDecember 5, 2011Paul McCartney: 'I felt sick the first time the Beatles played Wembley'

Paul McCartney has spoken about his history of pre-gig nerves, revealing that he felt like quitting playing live as he was so nervous before The Beatles performed at Wembley Arena. McCartney is currently in the middle of a European arena tour and also said that he still feels like he has to win some of the crowds over. Speaking about his record of pre-show nerves, he told the Daily Mirror: "The first time we ever played – pre-Beatles – I screwed up. So I never played lead guitar again. When the Beatles did Wembley (Arena, then known as the Empire Pool) for the first time (in 1963), I felt sick. I thought, 'I’ve got to give this up.'" McCartney added that even now he encounters crowd members who are "just standing there", but added: "We always manage to get them back in the end."